The White House’s partial budget proposal calls for $163 billion in federal spending cuts next fiscal year for environmental, education, foreign aid, and healthcare programs, including many already targeted by Elon Musk’s DOGE.
The fiscal 2026 budget proposal is a wish list of President Donald Trump’s spending and political priorities and does not include spending on defense, Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. Key Senate Republicans have expressed alarm at some of the proposals.
Nevertheless, despite a stated desire for efficiency and to cut waste, the president’s 79th birthday on June 14 may be celebrated with a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., according to new planning documents seen by the Associated Press.
Trump’s birthday falls on the same date as the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and the event calls for as many as 6,600 soldiers from 11 corps and divisions, army bands, tanks, artillery, howitzers, skydivers, 50 helicopters, and more than 2,000 civilians marching from Arlington, Virginia, into the capital.
The estimated cost of a similar parade pitched by Trump in his first term was $92 million. A final decision is yet to be made.
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Key points
- Trump budget plan includes massive cuts to punish ‘woke’ and ‘weaponized’ agencies
- Key Senate Republicans pan White House budget proposal
- Plans revealed for massive military parade on Trump’s 79th birthday
- Stephen Miller ‘top contender’ to become new head of National Security Agency
- President Trump ends major China tariff loophole: 'A big scam'
- Trump tariffs: Footwear giants Nike, Adidas, Skechers ask exemption,
The Independent's live coverage has paused for the evening
04:31
,
Michelle Del Rey
Please come back tomorrow for more breaking news.
Trump will unfreeze Maine funding after trans athlete lawsuit: ‘We took him to court and we won’
04:31
,
Michelle Del Rey
Donald Trump’s administration will unfreeze federal funding for Maine’s child nutrition programs following a legal battle between the state and the president over transgender athletes.
The administration agreed that it will not interfere with the state’s access to Department of Agriculture funding, and in turn, the state will drop its lawsuit against the agency.
The settlement does not constitute an admission of guilt from either party.
In remarks on Friday, Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills hailed the settlement as a “victory” for its state after a “blatantly illegal” threat to block critical funding for school food programs.
Read more from Alex Woodward here.
President Trump posted AI-generated photo of himself as Pope on Truth Social
04:02
,
Michelle Del Rey
Trump posted the image around 10 p.m. ET.
Earlier in the week, a reporter asked the president if he had a preference for the next Pope and he jokingly said: “I'd like to be Pope. That would be my #1 choice,” before adding: “We have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good, so we’ll see what happens.”
That cardinal is Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, 75.
Trump’s post did not include text.
On his verified account, President Trump has posted an AI-generated image of himself as the Pope. pic.twitter.com/5FDy42dbU5
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) May 3, 2025
Federal judge permanently blocks Trump’s ‘unconstitutional’ executive order targeting Perkins Coie, calling it an ‘an unprecedented attack’
03:53
,
Michelle Del Rey
A federal judge on Friday blocked the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, appointed by President Barack Obama, called the administration’s actions “an unprecedented attack” on the U.S. judicial system.
Trump had suspended security clearances held by the firm’s staff, cancelled government contracts that could financially benefit them and barred firm attorneys from entering federal buildings, reportedly because they’d represented 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Howell imposed a permanent injunction, which stopped the order from going into effect.
Stephen Miller ‘top contender’ to become new National Security Adviser
01:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, is a “top candidate” to become the next national security adviser, according to reports.
Miller, the architect behind some of the Trump administration’s most aggressive immigration policies, is in line to replace ousted Mike Waltz following the “embarrassing” Signalgate scandal, according to Axios.
Waltz was moved from his role as Trump’s national security adviser Thursday after the president tapped him to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Marjorie Taylor Greene posts rambling rant about ‘rogue judicial system’ and occupying Ukraine
01:11
,
Oliver O'Connell
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene took to X on Friday afternoon to share a lengthy rant in which she lambasted the “rogue justice system” and wrote about occupying Ukraine.
Greene began by setting the stakes: “I represent the base, and when I’m frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy.”
The ally of President Donald Trump appeared to criticize the commander-in-chief for “supposedly” bringing the U.S. closer to war with Iran.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Trump tariffs: Small foreign retailers are giving up on America
00:52
,
Oliver O'Connell
Some small foreign retailers are giving up on business in America as President Donald Trump ends a loophole that previously made cheaper goods exempt from tariffs.
May 2 marks the end of the “de minimis” exemption, a longstanding rule that applied to packages entering the U.S. worth under $800. Under the exemption, retailers overseas were allowed to sell products at lower prices by shipping them straight to consumers, bypassing domestic warehouses.
Rhian Lubin explains what the impact has been.
Musk promises DOGE has a ‘long-term’ future as steps back from White House
00:33
,
Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk vowed that DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts will continue - even as he prepares to step back from the disruptive government department.
In a wide-ranging interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News Thursday, the billionaire, whose time as a “special government employee” terminates at the end of May, described DOGE as a “long-term enterprise.”
Musk initially promised DOGE would shave $2 trillion from federal spending and debt, but he quickly cut that amount in half. Last month, he lowered it further to $150 billion and then upped it to $160 billion, a tiny fraction of what he first promised.
Mary Papenfuss reports.
How ‘Little Marco’ found Trump’s favor and became the ‘Secretary of Everything’ with four jobs
00:14
,
Oliver O'Connell
Alex Woodward writes:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has come a long way from “little Marco,” the name Donald Trump gifted his then-rival for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, when Rubio labeled him a “con artist” who cheated workers after never having worked a day in his life himself.
Rubio, nearly 10 years later, has more job titles than anyone in the Trump administration.
Read on...
ICYMI: Jobs report defies expectations and hiring remains steady despite concerns over Trump’s tariffs
23:55
,
Oliver O'Connell
The latest jobs report has defied expectations and hiring remains steady despite concerns over President Donald Trump's trade tariffs, which have shaken financial markets and worried consumers.
Fresh data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate remains at 4.2 percent.
It is the first glimpse of how the economy has fared after Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” on April 2, when he introduced sweeping tariffs that caused the biggest one-day stock market drop since the pandemic. His policies have shaken financial markets and frightened consumers.
Rhian Lubin and Eric Garcia report.
Trump’s deputy at the DOJ pushed for search warrant for student protesters’ Instagram accounts
23:36
,
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s criminal defense attorney Emily Bove, now a top official at the Department of Justice, reportedly pushed for an “aggressive” criminal investigation into Columbia University student activists that fueled a mass exodus of civil rights prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors — and a judge — fought against Bove’s pursuit of student activists’ Instagram accounts and search warrants as part of an allegedly aborted criminal inquiry into student demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza, according to a behind-the-scenes report from The New York Times.
MTG is considering running for the Senate. She is dead last in a poll of potential candidates
23:17
,
Oliver O'Connell
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene revealed in February that she’s considering a Senate run in 2026 — but a new poll may have given her a reality check.
With Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff up for re-election next year, a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll pitted the four most likely Republican challengers against the incumbent in hypothetical face-offs.
Katie Hawkinson reports.
Full story: Marjorie Taylor Greene posts rambling rant about ‘rogue judicial system’ and occupying Ukraine
22:58
,
Oliver O'Connell
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene took to X on Friday afternoon to share a lengthy rant in which she lambasted the “rogue justice system” and wrote about occupying Ukraine.
Greene began by setting the stakes: “I represent the base, and when I’m frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy.”
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
What Trump's budget cuts could mean for the environment
22:39
,
AP
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days included a wide range of attacks on environmental and climate initiatives. His proposed budget does the same.
The document released Friday looks to curtail or cut billions of dollars for everything from drinking water, clean energy and weather satellites to national parks, emergency management and environmental justice, to name a few.
That aligns with Trump's aggressive targeting of climate policy and crackdown on diversity initiatives as he pushes fossil fuel investment. Federal agencies are racing to bolster coal power and oil and gas while blocking renewable energy sources, rolling back landmark water and air regulations and attacking scientists in federal weather work tied to climate research.
The much-anticipated plan will define the Republican president’s second term, but it's important to note that Congress will ultimately decide the spending plans.
Read on...
Rubio mocked for calling German policy on AfD ‘tyranny in disguise’
22:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is facing criticism after slamming Germany for giving “its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition.”
Rubio lashed out on Friday following the decision by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency to classify the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a “proven right-wing extremist organization.”
Within hours, the German foreign office responded, as Gustaf Kilander reports.
US steps back from peace talks, saying it won’t mediate between Russia and Ukraine
22:20
,
Oliver O'Connell
The US will no longer mediate between Russia and Ukraine, leaving the two countries themselves to work out how to end the war, a state department official says.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said American envoys would no longer fly around the world “at the drop of a hat” to act as a go-between in peace talks.
It was now “between the two parties” to present concrete ideas on how the conflict would end, she insisted, although the US remained committed to helping.
Jane Dalton reports.
Waltz offered ambassador role in Saudi Arabia in addition to UN, report says
22:09
,
Oliver O'Connell
The White House gave Mike Waltz a choice of jobs on Thursday when he was told his position as national security adviser was ending.
Among the jobs on the table, CBS News reports, were the role of US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, in addition to the UN ambassador role he ultimately chose.
Today was scheduled to be Waltz's final day as national security advisor. A deputy to Waltz, Alex Wong, remains at the NSC, helping with the transition to Marco Rubio.
Scoop: The White House gave Mike Waltz a choice in jobs on Thursday, including the role as US ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He picked UN. Today was scheduled to be Waltz's final day as national security advisor. A deputy to Waltz, Alex Wong, remains at the NSC, helping with…
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 2, 2025
S&P 500 erases Trump tariffs losses since 'Liberation Day' with nine-day winning streak
22:04
,
Oliver O'Connell
US stocks rose Friday, and the S&P 500 notched its longest winning streak since 2004 as China signaled openness to trade talks and investors digested a better-than-expected jobs report.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 564 points, or 1.39%. The broader S&P 500 rose 1.47% and the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite gained 1.51%.
Both the Dow and S&P 500 posted their ninth daily gain in a row — for the latter, this hadn’t happened for more than 20 years, since November 2004.
Further, the S&P 500’s rally on Friday helped the index erase its losses since President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” when he announced his “reciprocal” tariffs on April 2.
The Dow posted its first nine-day winning streak since December 2023, but is still down about 2% from its closing price on April 2. The president waited until markets closed that day before making his tariffs announcement.
Wall Street was boosted today by Labor Department data showing the economy added 177,000 jobs in April, outpacing expectations of around 135,000 jobs.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let DOGE have access to Social Security data
22:02
,
Oliver O'Connell
The Trump administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have access to Social Security Administration data.
In their filing, the government says: “The district court’s order impinges on the President’s broad authority to direct the federal workforce, to oversee government information systems, and to require agencies to identify fraud, waste, and abuse. It is ‘an improper intrusion by a federal court into the workings of a coordinate branch of the Government.’”
Trump plans to downsize US spy agencies, report says
21:58
,
Reuters
The administration of President Donald Trump is planning significant personnel cuts at the Central Intelligence Agency and other major U.S. spy units, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing people familiar with the plans.
The CIA plans to cut 1,200 positions, along with thousands more from other parts of the U.S. intelligence community, the newspaper reported.
Since taking office in January, Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk have gone on a cost-cutting drive that has gutted and attempted to dismantle various agencies, and resulted in the departure of over 200,000 federal workers.
Despite his protests, America says it’s Trump’s economy, not Biden's
21:46
,
Oliver O'Connell
More Americans are saying the current economy is due to President Donald Trump than his predecessor Joe Biden, according to a new Gallup poll.
Trump has consistently blamed Biden for the turbulent stock market after the president triggered a global trade war with his tariffs.
As the president marked his first 100 days in office this week, nearly half of Americans (46 percent) surveyed in April believe that Trump is more responsible for the unstable economy, up 3 percent from March, according to Gallup. This compares to the 27 percent who blame Biden, which remained the same as March’s survey.
Rhian Lubin looks at the numbers.
Trump administration agrees to halt Maine funding freeze initiated after dispute over trans athletes
21:36
,
AP
The Trump administration has agreed to halt its Maine funding freeze initiated after a dispute over trans athletes erupted between President Donald Trump and Governor Janet Mills.
In response, the state will drop its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced.
The money that was suspended funds a statewide child nutrition program. A federal judge had ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze those funds last month after finding that Maine was likely to succeed in its legal challenge.
“It’s unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations,” Frey said in a statement.
A letter from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins explained that the decision to suspend funding stemmed from a disagreement between Maine and the federal government over whether the state was complying with Title IX, the law that bans discrimination in education based on sex nationwide. Trump had accused Maine of failing to comply with his executive order barring transgender athletes from sports.
New sanctions on Russia are ready but it's not clear if Trump will sign, report says
21:29
,
Oliver O'Connell
Reuters reports that U.S. officials have finalized new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, to intensify pressure on Moscow to embrace President Donald Trump’s efforts to end its war on Ukraine
The agency cites three U.S. officials and a source familiar with the issue.
Among the targets are state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom and major entities involved in the natural resources and banking sectors, according to an administration official, who, like the other sources, requested anonymity to discuss the issue. No further details were given.
What remains unclear is whether the package will be approved by the president.
Trump’s earlier sympathy for Moscow's statements and actions has more recently given way to frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for rebuffing his calls for a ceasefire and peace talks.
The U.S. National Security Council “is trying to coordinate some set of more punitive actions against Russia,” the source familiar with the issue told Reuters. “This will have to be signed off by Trump.”
“It’s totally his call,” confirmed a second U.S. official.
“From the beginning, the president has been clear about his commitment to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire,” said National Security Council Spokesman James Hewitt. “We do not comment on the details of ongoing negotiations.”
The U.S. Treasury, which implements most U.S. sanctions, did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
Trump tariffs: Footwear giants Nike, Adidas, Skechers ask exemption,
21:13
,
Oliver O'Connell
Some of the largest show brands in America are asking President Donald Trump for an exemption from his tariffs on imports of foreign-made goods.
Per CNBC:
The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America trade group sent a letter to the White House this week asking for an exemption to Trump’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs,” which the association said pose an “existential threat” to the footwear industry. The letter is signed by 76 footwear brands, including Nike, Adidas, Skechers and Under Armour.
“Many companies making affordable footwear for hardworking lower and middle-income families cannot absorb tariff rates this high, nor can they pass along these costs. Without immediate relief from the reciprocal tariffs they will simply shutter,” reads the letter, which is dated April 29.
China, Vietnam, and Cambodia are important sources of production for the footwear industry and are currently subject to tariffs of 145% for China, and 10% for the other two nations due to the 90-day pause in the implementation of higher tariffs.
In early July, Vietnam will be tariffed at 46% and Cambodia at 49% if no trade deal is reached with the U.S.
Two major scientific societies will write a cornerstone climate report after Trump dismisses authors
20:54
,
AP
The American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union announced on Friday that they will collaborate to produce peer-reviewed research documents evaluating the current and future national impacts of climate change in the U.S.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump’s administration informed about 400 scientists working on the National Climate Assessment that they were no longer needed and that the report was being reevaluated.
The report, which is issued every four to five years, is mandated by a federal law from 1990 and was expected around 2027. Preliminary budget documents indicate significant cuts in funding or the elimination of offices involved in coordinating the report, according to scientists and activists.
AGU President Brandon Jones says they “are filling in a gap in the scientific process.”
Key Senate Republicans pan White House budget proposal
20:44
,
Oliver O'Connell
Key Senate Republicans have been quick to criticize the White House budget proposal released this morning, outlining a wishlist of spending priorities for President Donald Trump in the next fiscal year.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins of Maine publicly objected to the administration’s request to maintain military funding at approximately $893 billion. She criticized Trump’s proposed cuts to biomedical research, education support programs for low-income households, and subsidies to assist the poorest Americans in covering the costs of heating and cooling their homes.
Collins noted: “This request has come to Congress late, and key details still remain outstanding. Based on my initial review, however, I have serious objections to the proposed freeze in our defense funding.”
She was also unhappy with the White House’s proposed cuts, “and in some cases elimination” of non-defense programs.
Senate Appropriations Chair Collins responds to President Trump's "skinny" 2026 budget:"This request has come to Congress late, and key details still remain outstanding. Based on my initial review, however, I have serious objections to the proposed freeze in our defense funding." https://t.co/G38aJ6Rsun pic.twitter.com/hmf72fQTct
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) May 2, 2025
Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, now chair of the upper chamber’s defense funding panel, slammed the White House budget office for asking Congress to freeze defense spending.
He said in a statement that extra cash Republican leaders are hoping to generate through the tax and spending megabill they hope to enact this summer is “not a substitute for full-year appropriations.”
“OMB accounting gimmicks may well convince Administration officials and spokesmen that they’re doing enough to counter the growing, coordinated challenges we face from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and radical terrorists. But they won’t fool Congress,” McConnell said.
McConnell: "America cannot expect our allies to heed calls for greater annual defense spending if we are unwilling to lead by example. Fortunately, Presidential budget requests are just that: requests."
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) May 2, 2025
“America cannot expect our allies to heed calls for greater annual defense spending if we are unwilling to lead by example. Fortunately, Presidential budget requests are just that: requests,” he said.
There was further condemnation from Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who said the White House’s request would be “a cut in real terms” for the military.
In a statement, he agreed with McConnell that the additional $150 billion in military funding GOP leaders want to pass through their separate party-line package was not meant “to paper over” the White House budget office’s “intent to shred to the bone our military capabilities and our support to service members.”
Full story: Stephen Miller ‘top contender’ to become new head of National Security Agency
20:35
,
Oliver O'Connell
Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, is a “top candidate” to become the next national security adviser, according to reports.
Miller, the architect behind some of the Trump administration’s most aggressive immigration policies, is in line to replace ousted Mike Waltz following the “embarrassing” Signalgate scandal, according to Axios.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Trump administration reaches settlement with Ashli Babbitt’s family
20:21
,
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s administration has reached a settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer on January 6, 2021 after joining a mob inside the halls of Congress.
Alex Woodward reports.
